Published on
24/03/2026 – 1:25 GMT+1

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday sealed a free-trade agreement with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, slashing tariffs on most EU goods and farm exports.

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The deal marks another win for Brussels as it races to diversify trade ties and lock in strategic partners amid rising global tensions.

The pact will save the EU €1 billion a year in duties, the Commission said, with exports projected to climb as much as 33% over the next decade.

Agriculture proved a flashpoint, with EU farmers already pushing back against the Mercosur trade agreement and a legal challenge from MEPs threatening ratification.

Tariffs will eventually fall to zero on products including cheese (over three years), wine, some fruit and vegetables, chocolate and processed foods.

On the toughest issues — beef and sheep, which sank talks in 2023 — Australia agreed to quotas of 30,600 and 25,000 tonnes a year, respectively.

A safeguard mechanism will allow the EU to shield sensitive sectors if a surge in Australian imports harms the bloc’s market.

Beyond agriculture, the agreement opens access to Australia’s critical raw materials, including aluminium, lithium and manganese.

Brussels also failed to scrap Australia’s luxury car tax. Instead, 75% of EU electric vehicles will be exempt.

The deal is a geostrategic push

The Commission expects strong export gains in key sectors, including dairy (up to 48%), motor vehicles (52%) and chemicals (20%).

Brussels has prioritized the deal as it builds partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, where China’s influence has become central. A security and defence partnership with Canberra was also announced Tuesday.

“The EU and Australia may be geographically far apart but we couldn’t be closer in terms of how we see the world,” von der Leyen said, adding: “With these dynamic new partnerships on security and defence, as well as trade, we are moving even closer together.”

Since Donald Trump returned to power in 2025, trade agreements have taken on sharper geostrategic weight for the EU as it seeks new markets.

In 2025, Brussels struck deals with Mexico, Switzerland and Indonesia. The Mercosur pact was also signed earlier this year and will be provisionally applied from 1 May despite a European Parliament legal challenge.

More could follow. Talks are ongoing with the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, von der Leyen told EU ambassadors on 9 March.

‘Sherlock‘ producer Sue Vertue and co-creator Steven Moffat talked at Series Mania about their new political show “Number 10,” written by Moffat for Channel 4/ITVS. 

“[It’s about] British government, we don’t know which party is in power. You have no idea. But, as I discovered in my research, it really makes no difference,” says Moffat.

“It’s not a satire. Whatever the disastrous outcome, for most part, these people are trying to get a good outcome. It’s funny and quite serious at times. I did an awful lot of research, which was usual for me, and got so many great stories about what goes on in this house. Yeah, I know they are politicians, but every proper sensible country governs from mighty buildings and castles. We got a wee street!”

“If you want to look at British self-image and what we are like as a nation, go to Downing Street. This little street. That’s us. That’s how we are. Inside, the toilets don’t often work, the lift breaks down, and in the room where they held the most important meetings, there is a sword – if everyone moves it, they’ve broken a terrible law. You will find out why if you watch the show.” 

The politics has very little to do with the show, he states. Even though it was filmed on the actual Downing Street. 

“As one character says, quoting a real-life Prime Minister: ‘Most of this job is trying to choose between two unacceptable outcomes.’ That’s pure drama. That’s glorious. ‘Which one of these should I chose?’ ‘It’s up to you, Prime Minister.’ ‘But they are both terrible? ‘Yes, Prime Minister.’ ‘I will be blamed for it, won’t I?’ ‘You will, Prime Minister.’ ‘Is more data coming in? Can we wait for it?’ ‘Yes, Prime Minister. No, Prime Minister.’”  

“Think of it as a workplace comedy drama – in the most ridiculous workplace. The one where if you have an accidental hookup at a Christmas party, it’s going on the front page. If you have a serious hangover, you can start a war. It’s a place of high drama, sometimes high principle, but staffed by just people,” he notes. 

“A lot of the stories are true. I’ve disguised the names to protect the guilty, but tons of it actually happens. It’s not about politics, because while making this show, any notion of having a political orientation went out of the window. I learnt too much. You are in a state of continuous crisis. What a perfect place to put a bunch of interesting characters in for a comedy drama.”

Vertue adds: “We are so proud of this show. We finished filming on Friday. It’s beautiful.”

A longtime couple in work and in life also talked about their partnership that spawned “Dracula” or “Sherlock” during the masterclass.

They spotted Cumberbatch in “Atonement,” where “he played a really creepy character. But he looked and sounded the part,” says Moffat.  

“He had his demeanor. The BBC said: ‘He’s brilliant, just one thing: You did promise us a sexy Sherlock Holmes and he’s not, is he?’

Before Martin Freeman was cast, Matt Smith – Eleventh Doctor in “Doctor Who” – was one of the first people to audition for the role.

“Martin was a bit grumpy and we didn’t think he wanted the part. Then his agent called me: ‘No, he did, but he just had his wallet stolen’,” recalled Vertue, with Moffat adding: “They are both brilliant but I don’t know if they are ever more brilliant than when they are together.”  

When they first met, Vertue was a “bigger name,” says Moffat. 

“I don’t know, I guess making things like ‘Mr. Bean’ makes you famous. When we met, she was way out of my league. People ask: ‘Is it a problem, working with your wife?’ Well, raising children together is hard, too. If working together is ‘hard,’ what the hell are you doing getting married?!”

He adds: “Also, we are saving production money – we only need one hotel room.”

How did they fall in love?

“In a bar,” deadpans Vertue.

Or, rather, at the Edinburg TV festival. 

“You know when you know immediately when it’s right? We did. I promised another producer not to work with him for a year, kept my promise and then I nabbed him,” she says.  

They also worked together on “Coupling,” which was close to their own story, they admit. 

“Whatever you write, even nonsense like ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Sherlock,’ you write what’s in front of you. I went from being a single man to being a married man. I lived in a different place; I was ‘a couple’. The rules had to be rewritten: ‘Stop flirting with women’ – that was one,” says Moffat.

“How autobiographical [was it]? Not very. Every journalist would ask: ‘Are any characters based on you and Sue?’ ‘Yes, those with our names. You are never gonna crack Watergate, are you?’ But yes, there’s some truth in it.”

“[After we met] we said: ‘Shall we be exclusive?’ I said: ‘I just have to go and dump someone.’ Sue was dumping people for about a month, and it was so easy for her! Once someone called, she picked up and said: ‘Oh hi! Sorry, I met someone. Bye’.”

According to Moffat, “if it’s boring, stick some jokes in it.” 

“Real life is funny – drama is a lie. If you are saying goodbye to the love of your life, you can’t wait for her to leave because you have to pee. These Sherlock stories? If you read the original, it’s funny. Holmes is a funny guy, making impossible deductions and Watson still managing to be astonished by it. It’s glorious stuff. [‘Sherlock’ episode] ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ is one of my favorite things and it’s non-stop gags. You can’t be too funny, too sexy or too pretty. Always go for funny.” 

He adds: “Humor is truth on speed, that’s what it is. It’s insight with velocity. We had a tradition: When Sue reads a script, I move very far from her in case I want to ask: ‘Why haven’t you laughed yet?’ People must laugh when they read the script. You must laugh before you write a line. I used to say about comedy writing: Stare at the window until you make yourself laugh, and when you do, write it down.”   

Vertue says: “He does all the voices and all the parts, and he’s laughing while walking down the street. Our son would say to his friends when they were coming over: ‘Don’t worry about my dad. He’s not mad, he’s just writing’.”

Counterterrorism police are leading an investigation after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in London early Monday in what authorities are treating as an antisemitic hate crime. 

The attack took place around 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where Hatzola ambulances, a volunteer emergency service run by the Jewish community, were deliberately set ablaze in a synagogue parking lot, according to a statement by Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams of the Metropolitan Police.

“This arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities,” Williams said. He added that while the incident has not yet been formally declared terrorism, “the investigation is now being led by Counterterrorism Policing… and all lines of enquiry remain open.”

A video circulating online purports to show Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, an Iran-linked group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands, taking credit for the London attack, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

WESTERN LEADERS MUST CONFRONT ISLAMIST-INSPIRED ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE BEFORE IT TARGETS EVERYONE

Authorities are examining a potential link to a newly emerged group with suspected ties to Iran. “We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack,” Williams said. “Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority… but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the attack reflects years of policy failures in confronting Iranian activity on British soil. “Successive U.K. Governments have completely failed in their primary duty of keeping the home front safe. Iranian terrorist activity has been known about in the U.K. for years yet no significant moves have been made to ban the IRGC or restrict the ability of regime-linked entities to function within British society. We have created the conditions for terrorism to flourish,” he said. 

He argued that Britain’s broader approach to the conflict with Iran — attempting to maintain distance while avoiding direct confrontation — has further emboldened Tehran. “The current policy on the war in Iran is delusional. The Government is pretending Britain is not involved. The Iranian regime does not, however, believe in neutrality and has decided its position for us: ripe for targeting.”

Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a post on X that “My initial assessment is that the attack could potentially be linked to Ashab al-Yamin, an Iran-linked group that has carried out multiple attacks against Jewish institutions across Europe since the war began… Hopefully this is something different, but the possibility that the group is involved should be examined.”

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Police said they are searching for three suspects seen on CCTV pouring an accelerant onto the vehicles before igniting them. No injuries were reported, though nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution. 

The attack comes amid a broader wave of violence targeting Jewish communities across Europe in recent weeks.

Scott Saunders, CEO of the International March of the Living, said the incident represents a dangerous escalation. “The arson attack in Golders Green… marks a dangerous escalation in the targeting of Jewish communities,” Saunders said. “Emergency vehicles operated by Jewish volunteer first responders were deliberately attacked… in direct proximity to a place of worship — a space that should represent safety.”

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“These ambulances do not only serve Jewish communities… Targeting them is an attack not only on Jewish life, but on the shared fabric of the community they serve,” he added. “Since the war with Iran began, antisemitic attacks have become more frequent, more brazen, and more direct. Jewish institutions are being singled out; synagogues, community spaces, and now even the emergency services that exist to protect Jewish lives, with a growing sense that these are legitimate targets. Following the deadly shooting in and around a synagogue in Manchester last October, where this escalation already resulted in loss of life, the attack in Golders Green makes clear that this trajectory is continuing.”

Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, said the attack reflects a broader trend.

“The attack against a visible Jewish target is not an isolated act of vandalism; it is the violent fruition of a climate where Jew-hatred has been normalized and institutionalized,” Small said.

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“At the center of this malignancy sits the Iranian regime… which actively funds and directs the networks that view British Jewish institutions as legitimate targets,” he added.

British officials also condemned the attack.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism.”

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the incident on X “a particularly sickening assault — not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society.”

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“The targeting of Hatzola… is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it,” he added in a statement posted March 23, 2026.

Police said there have been no arrests and urged anyone with information to come forward.